Article I Name and Purpose

Transcription

1 Constitution and By-Laws of the Ronald Reagan Chapter of the National Honor Society Amended 2015 Article I Name and Purpose Section 1. The name of this chapter, which appears on the charter granted by the National Council of the National Honor Society duly signed by the National Secretary, shall be the Ronald Reagan Chapter of the National Honor Society of Secondary Schools. Section 2. The purpose of this chapter shall be to create an enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render community service, to promote worthy leadership, and to encourage the development of character in students of Ronald Reagan High School. Article II Selection of Members Section 1. Membership in this chapter is an honor bestowed upon deserving students by the faculty and shall be based on the criteria of Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character. Section 2. Candidates eligible for selection to this chapter shall be members of the junior or senior class. Candidates eligible for selection to the chapter shall have a minimum scholastic average of 90 percent or its equivalent. All students who can rise in scholarship to or above such standard may be admitted to candidacy for selection to membership. Their eligibility shall then be considered based on their service, leadership, and character; therefore, candidates who have been referred for disciplinary action and sent to an alternative campus setting (i.e. AHS) will not be eligible for membership within that school year. Section 3. Candidates selected for membership shall be inducted at a formal ceremony after the selection process has been completed. Section 4. The final selection of members to this chapter shall be by a majority vote of the Faculty Council consisting of five faculty members appointed by the Principal. The Adviser(s) shall be the sixth and/or seventh, non-voting, ex-officio member(s) of the Faculty Council. Section 5. Prior to the final selection, the following shall occur: a. Students academic records shall be reviewed to determine scholastic eligibility. Page 1 of 7

2 b. Students disciplinary records shall be reviewed to determine eligibility. c. Students who are eligible scholastically shall be notified and asked to complete the Student Activity Information Form for further consideration for selection. d. The faculty shall be requested to comment on candidates determined to be scholastically eligible. e. The Faculty Council shall review the Student Activity Information Form, along with the faculty comments. Section 6. The selection of active members shall be held once a year during the first semester of the school year. (Alternative or additional selection periods may be added if a special need or circumstance arises.) Section 7. An active member of the National Honor Society who transfers from this school shall be given a letter indicating the status of his/her membership and signed by the principal or chapter adviser. Section 8. An active member of the National Honor Society who transfers to this school shall be automatically accepted for membership in this chapter with signed documentation verifying their membership. Within one semester, this transfer member shall attain, and thereafter maintain, the membership requirements (inclusive of dues paid) for this chapter in order to retain his/her membership. Section 1. Membership status. Article III Membership a. A member in good standing shall be a member who has satisfied and who continues to meet all requirements of the society. i. A member in good standing shall maintain at least the minimum scholastic average of 90 percent, or its equivalent, in effect when he/she was selected. ii. iii. A member s conduct shall be satisfactory both on and off the school campus. Members shall attend all meetings. If attendance is not possible, a written explanation of non-attendance must be given to a chapter adviser within one week of the meeting time or it will be recorded as an unexcused absence. The adviser(s) make the final decision Page 2 of 7

3 regarding whether the member is excused from the meeting. iv. All members shall perform a minimum of ten (10) individual community service hours each semester and provide proper documentation of community service on the official form. Six (6) hours of said ten (10) per semester must be obtained by participation in chapter-sponsored activities. Members must turn in their community service hour forms to an Adviser within ten (10) school days from which the community service was performed. Non-NHS community service must be pre-approved. Community service hours performed during the summer before the upcoming school year must be turned in by the end of August to an Adviser. b. A member on probation shall be a member who has not satisfied all the requirements of the society. Following the receipt of written notification of probationary status, a member will be put on probation until the next semester deadline. A member will be given a grace period to complete all of his/her unmet requirements. If a member completes his/her unmet requirements by the end of the grace period, while also completing his/her current requirements, then he/she will be taken off probation, and goodstanding status shall be reinstated. i. If a member s cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) falls below the standard in effect when he/she was selected, he/she shall be given written notification of probationary status and a grace period for improvement. If a member improves his/her cumulative grade point average to meet or exceed the standard in effect when he/she was selected by the end of the grace period, then GPA Probation shall be lifted. ii. iii. iv. Offenders of the school conduct code may be placed on Conduct Probation. A member who has accumulated two unexcused absences (as described in Section 1.a.iii) from meetings shall receive written notification of probationary status. If a member does not accumulate another unexcused absence during the remaining school year, then Attendance Probation shall be lifted. Members who have failed to perform and submit their community service hours in a timely manner shall receive written notification of probationary status and a grace period for improvement. If a member performs and submits his/her unmet community service hours by the end of the grace period, while also completing and submitting his/her Page 3 of 7

4 current community service hour requirements on time, then Community Service Hour Probation shall be lifted. Article IV Dismissal Section 1. Any member who falls below the standards of scholarship, leadership, character, or service may be dismissed from the Ronald Reagan chapter of the National Honor Society. A member of the National Honor Society is expected to maintain an active role in service and leadership to his/her school and community. Section 2. Any member whose probationary status is not lifted may be dismissed from the Ronald Reagan Chapter of the National Honor Society. Section 3. Violation of criminal law will result in dismissal of a member (see the NEISD Student Handbook). Section 4. Level II or III offenses of the NEISD School Code of Conduct may result in dismissal. Section 5. A member shall be dismissed if he/she is referred for disciplinary action to an alternative campus setting within the school year (i.e. sent to AHS). Section 6. In the case of pending dismissal: a. The member will receive written notification of the reason for possible dismissal from the Advisers/Faculty Council. The member and adviser will discuss the written notification in a conference. b. The member will be offered a hearing with the Faculty Council prior to dismissal (in accordance with due process identified in the National NASSP/NHS Constitution). The member has the opportunity to present his/her defense. The Faculty Council will then vote on whether or not to dismiss. c. The dismissed member will sign a letter of dismissal. Dismissed members must surrender any membership emblems to the Advisers. d. The member may appeal the Faculty Council s decision to the Principal. e. When a student is dismissed or resigns, he/she is no longer a member and may never again be considered for membership in the National Honor Society. Page 4 of 7

5 Section 7. In lieu of dismissal, the Faculty Council may impose disciplinary sanctions upon a member as deemed appropriate. Article V. Officers Section 1. The Executive Board of this chapter shall include the positions of president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, historian, parliamentarian, and publicity officer. Section 2. The duties of the Executive Board shall be as follows: a. President shall: i. Preside at the chapter meetings and officer meetings ii. Call meetings iii. Serve as the official representative of the chapter at school and community functions iv. Keep the record of community service hours v. Communicate with members using Remind b. Vice President shall: i. Preside in the absence of the president ii. Keep a record of members contributions to leadership and community service iii. Facilitate the election of officers c. Secretary shall: i. Keep the minutes and attendance records for meetings ii. Make PowerPoint presentations for meetings iii. Responsible for all official correspondence d. Treasurer shall: i. Keep the record of business expenses, dues, and all other financial transactions of the chapter ii. Organize and file community service hour forms e. Historian shall: i. Assist the Vice President with the election of new officers ii. Create monthly video scrapbooks of pictures and articles of NHS activities iii. Collect and take pictures of NHS members doing community service activities f. Parliamentarian shall: i. Ensure all meetings are run by parliamentary procedure ii. Organize and file community service hour forms Page 5 of 7

6 g. Publicity Officer shall: i. Publicize meeting dates and activities in the announcements and the website ii. Oversee the production and display of posters publicizing NHS functions. iii. Submit announcements for 2 nd period announcements and Remind Section 3. Any officer who fails to perform the duties described in these by-laws may be removed from office. Parliamentary procedure will be used at dismissal hearings of officers to be removed from office but only at officer meetings or at another time scheduled with the Adviser(s). Section 4. Officers shall be self-nominated juniors who have been members for one semester and have consistently maintained the requirements for good-standing membership. Nominees shall be screened by the Adviser(s) and voted upon by the members. Section 5. Officer elections shall take place during the Spring Semester. Under special circumstances, officer elections may take place at another time when necessary only under approval of the Adviser(s). Article VII Meetings Section 1. Chapter meetings shall be regularly scheduled each month from September to May. Section 2. The Executive Board shall meet regularly to organize and execute plans. Article VIII Community Service Projects Section 1. Members shall participate in chapter-sponsored community service activities and independent (pre-approved) community service activities. Section 2. Chapter-sponsored activities include any activities that have been implemented and/or approved by the Adviser(s). Attendance at chapter-sponsored activities must be documented at the time of the event via sign-in sheet only. Section 3. All independent community service activities must be documented by an adult authorized by the the sponsoring agency or an adult accompanying the group to the event (not the member s parent). Section 4. The officers of each community service project shall be responsible for communicating community service opportunities to the membership and for enabling members to participate. Page 6 of 7

7 Article IX Dues Section 1. First-year chapter membership dues shall be $20.00 to be paid by the end of October. Second-year chapter membership dues shall be $15.00 to be paid by the end of September. Section 2. Active members have the option to purchase a graduation stole and letterman patch. Article X Ratification Section 1. These by-laws must be ratified by a two-thirds majority of the membership [present at meeting], provided that the laws have been approved by the chapter s Faculty Council. Article XI Amendments Section 1. These by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of chapter members (present at meeting), provided the proposed amendments have been approved by the chapter s Faculty Council. Section 2. In cases of district policy, rules, and standards of conduct, these by-laws cannot conflict. Article XII Hazing Test Section 1. The members will take and pass the district hazing test and have their parents sign the Student/Parent Agreement form. Students will be on probation until the hazing test is passed and parent signature form is turned in. Page 7 of 7